"The Desert Sirens" - The Closest Story To Reality

Although I began writing "The Desert Sirens" in Cuenca, Ecuador in June 2023, the events that inspired it occurred in Colombia in February 2020. I flew from Costa Rica to Bogotá, Colombia that month. The weekend following my arrival, I departed on my first big adventure. I took a bus south from Bogotá to Neiva and then a minivan to the very small pueblo of Villavieja. The trip took about five hours. Villavieja is the main jumping off point for visits to the Tatacoa Desert. In my research of the country, a visit to this area rose toward the top of my must-do list. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Colombia who wants to "get out in it".

It is difficult to get to the starting point for hikes into the desert even from Villavieja. There are two main sections of the desert. The red section is the easiest to explore. The gray section is more remote, larger and more difficult.

Many of the events detailed in this story actually happened - to me. Of course, they served as the basis upon which I substantially embellished. The owner of the hotel did take me on his motorcycle to the trailhead for the red section. The trails through the section are well-marked. The beauty is virtually indescribable, although I did my best to paint a picture of it in the story. Everything I say about it in the story is true.

I did visit the grey section the following day, once again delivered by the owner and his motorcycle. There was, indeed, a rough map of the trail and I did encounter a goat herder. I did set out alone and I was not particularly well-prepared. As the character in the story begins to move through the grey section, the story also begins to move farther away from reality. Still bits and pieces of my experience remain. It is remote and it was hot. I saw only one person besides the goat herder. Again I did not want to provide a definitive ending, so you as the reader will have to use your own creativity and imagination to decide what happens. I have had some very positive comments about this story. If you have not read it but take the plunge later, I hope you enjoy it.